snub

American  

[snuhb] / snʌb /

verb (used with object)

snubbed, snubbing

1. to treat with disdain or contempt, especially by ignoring.

   Synonyms:

   slight

2. to check or reject with a sharp rebuke or remark.

   Synonyms:

   reprimand, reprove, stop

3. to check or stop suddenly (a rope or cable that is running out).

4. to check (a boat, an unbroken horse, etc.) by means of a rope or line made fast to a fixed object.

5. to pull up or stop abruptly in such a manner.

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noun

1. an act or instance of snubbing.

2. an affront, slight, or rebuff.

3. a sudden check given to a rope or cable running out, a moving boat, or the like.

adjective

1. (of the nose) short and turned up at the tip.

2. blunt.

snub British  

/ snʌb /

verb

1. to insult (someone) deliberately

2. to stop or check the motion of (a boat, horse, etc) by taking turns of a rope or cable around a post or other fixed object

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noun

1. a deliberately insulting act or remark

2. nautical

   1. an elastic shock absorber attached to a mooring line

   2. ( as modifier )

      a snub rope

adjective

1. short and blunt See also snub-nosed

Other Word Forms

• snubber
  noun
• snubbingly
  adverb
• snubby
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of snub

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English snubben, from Old Norse snubba “to scold, reprimand”; cognate with Middle Low German snūben

Explanation

To snub is to ignore or refuse to acknowledge someone. If you want to snub your former best friend, you can refuse to even look at her when you pass in the hallway. When you snub someone, you deliver an insult by pretending to not even notice someone that you know. There’s an element of disdain and rejection to a snub, as if you’re too good to even acknowledge the person. As a noun, a snub is that act of cold rejection. Your former friend probably noticed the snub, and she’ll probably snub you from now on. Snub also means "very short," like the nose on a bulldog.

Example Sentences

And now there is a new Barbie cause to rally around: the Great Oscar Snub and what it all means — and why it is wrong.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2024

Snub : Rancho Humilde, the groundbreaking L.A. label and incubator of the hot corridos tumbados sound, has been shut out of the nominations this year.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2023

It was already impossible to talk about without addressing The Controversy and now it becomes impossible not to talk about The Snub.

From Slate • Jan. 10, 2013

Grudges Likely Played Role in Hall of Fame Snub Marvin Miller knew he belonged in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he died on Tuesday excluded from it.

From New York Times • Nov. 27, 2012

Segador patted Snub Nose on the back as the youngster crawled into the glass bubble below the pilot's feet.

From The Five Arrows by Chase, Allan

Related Words

• boycott
• disregard
• humiliate
• ignore
• neglect
• ostracize
• pass up
• rebuff
• scold
• scorn
• shun